When a water pipe broke in Casa de Oro early Tuesday, one homeowner said it seemed like a river was coming over a wall into his home.
Tony DeMart described the damage done to his home when the water rushed into his sliding glass door just before 3 a.m.
“Through the back coming over the wall and everything,” he said. “It was quite a lot of water for about 45 minutes to an hour before they finally got it shut off.”
DeMart was up and surveying the damage as cleaning crews vacuumed water from his living room. His garage was flooded as well.
He was awaked by police officers and sheriff’s deputies knocking on his door. Law enforcement officers then called the water company who sent crews to help DeMart with the cleaning.
“To wake up to that kind of shock at first but you know, things happen and you have to live with it,” DeMart said.
The pipe, buried underneath the 3800-block of Rogers Road in 1952, was only 6-inches wide but because of its proximity to a pump station it carried more pressure than most of the department’s pipes.
Other nearby homes experienced some flooding. Nineteen customers were without water when service was shut down Helix Water officials said.